Speculation
by animeloveramy
Summary: 'I just stood there, looking around at the many people who were talking, dancing, drinking. I hated balls. I always had. but then HE arrived and turned my world upside down.' Mary/oc - based on film


**Well hello there lovely readers! This is my first pride and prejudice fan fiction and as I only just finished watching the film and haven't read the book at all, it might not capture the characters very well. I hope you all like it anyways!**

**This story will be set in Mary's point of view. She was an interesting character for me so I decided to see her get some romance in her life. When I think about it she's allot like me. I never really liked parties either. ^_^**

**Enjoy!**

**oxo…oxo**

I just stood there, looking around at the many people who were talking, dancing, drinking. I hated balls. I always had. Sighing, I took a sip of the wine in my hand. I wasn't really a fan of drink either but I put up with it. It would be impolite not to drink anything and mother said I would become dehydrated.

Once again we were at a wedding ceremony. This time it was Kitty who was married. I was the last one to get married out of me and my sisters and I wondered if I ever would marry anyone. All the men here were ignoring me, all finding some other girl to talk to or dance with. I was never as demanding as my younger sisters and never as pretty as my elder sisters. I was a nothing. And no one wanted a nothing.

Looking around, I watched as Kitty danced around happily with her new husband, a tall man with dark hair and dark eyes who smiled allot. Lizzie and Mr Darcy were also dancing, a smile on both of their faces. The man had opened up allot more lately but I still wasn't sure I liked him. But that didn't really matter I supposed. He was Lizzie's husband and if Lizzie liked him them I would tolerate him. Jane and Mr Bingley were standing a little way off, talking animatedly to each other. Lydia and Mr Wickham were sitting, chatting to some of their friends from Newcastle who had come to congratulate kitty at the pair's request.

I envied every one of them. I wasn't really sure of the idea of being married but I hated being a burden on mother and father. I wanted to be loved, that I knew. But I also knew that something like that wasn't going to happen in one night, if it ever happened at all. I sighed again. This night was getting rather depressing for me. I wanted to play the piano that was in the corner of the room but memories of other balls stopped me. I didn't want to make a fool out of myself again. It would just help keep men away and that was certainty not what I wanted happening.

Sighing for the third time I turned around to get another glass of wine before jumping at the face in front of me. He seemed to have come out of nowhere, this man whose face must have been so close to the back of my head that now, as I had turned, our noses touched. I could feel that my eyes were as wide as his. He hadn't expected me to turn around, that was for sure.

Shakily, I took a few steps backward, distancing myself from him and his face. He seemed to get over the shock as well as he straightened, regaining his full height. He was about two heads taller than me, had short black locks and bright green eyes. He was also _very_ handsome. As we recovered from the initial shock, we bowed to each other. As I straightened, I watched him with a curiosity I had never felt for a man before. It was strange; I had never felt this way about a man. But then, no man had ever startled me like that.

"Sorry about that." He told me apologetically. "I'm not very good at talking to girls so I thought it would be easier to talk to you from behind. Apparently that wasn't a very wise idea." He told me shakily and I just looked at him, saying nothing for a moment as I studied his features. He was a very well dressed man but quite slender. He had a body that could have been mistaken for a woman's but for the suit and lack of breasts. The thought made me smile.

"Who are you?" I asked, rather bluntly. I hoped it didn't sound rude.

"My name is Mr Johnston. But you can call me James. I prefer to be known by my first name. It's a little too formal for me otherwise." He explained in a tone that told me he hadn't been offended by my bluntness. "May I ask your name?"

I looked up at him and smiled. "Mary." I told him simply. "Mary Bennet."

"Mary Bennet." He repeated softly as he looked at me and I felt a small blush flush my cheeks. "Well, Mary Bennet; would you like to dance?" he asked me with a smile and a bow, holding his hand out for mine as he gazed up at me. The blush on my face deepened and I nodded, placing my hand in his as he led me to the dance floor.

I could see Lizzie's curious eyes on me as we began dancing and after a moment of watching us she pulled Mr Darcy to the side and whispered something in his ear. He then looked over and watched us for a moment before whispering something in return causing Lizzie's eyes to become huge as she turned to watch us again. I frowned, what could he have told her to make her react like that?

"Is something wrong Miss Bennet?" James asked me in concern. I looked up at him in surprise.

"Not at all. And you can just call me Mary. It would seem unfair otherwise." I told him with a small smile. He was the first man to ever really speak to me other than father and I wanted to make an impression.

"Unfair?" he asked me as we danced around with everyone else.

"Yes. After all, you have told me to call you by your first name so it's only fair that you May call me by my first name, don't you think?" I asked him, a look in my eye that I wasn't sure how to describe. I felt like I was testing him, seeing if I liked him, if he were for me. But it was far too soon to be doing that, right? I wouldn't know. This was the first time I had really spoken to a man after all. He looked at me with what I read to be a rather respectable look as he passed me before turning with the dance and meeting me again.

"Of course; Mary." He answered simply. He said my name as an after thought, but for some reason it sent shivers down my spine. As the dance ended we stood opposite each other and bowed, signalling the end of the dance. We clapped to the band, like everyone else, before walking away from the dancers and towards the drinks. But before we got there we were intercepted by Lizzie and Mr Darcy.

"Mary!" Lizzie called and I stopped before turning to look at the pair approaching.

"Hello Lizzie!" I replied happily, grasping her hand before bowing slightly to the man behind her. "Lizzie, this is Mr James Johnston." I introduced her. "James, this is my sister, Lizzie and her husband, Mr Darcy." I told the man who was still standing next to me. The three bowed to each other and I smiled slightly.

"It is a pleasure to meet you both." James greeted them. Lizzie smiled and Mr Darcy nodded; the miserable look back on his face. He always wore that look when meeting new people.

"We were just going to get some drinks, want to join us?" I offered her and she looked at me distractedly before blinking, realising what I had just said.

"Oh! No thank you, I'm fine. I think we're going to go and have another dance. I just wanted to see who your friend was." She told me before winking and walking away, pulling Mr Darcy along behind her and leaving me with red cheeks.

"A good sister you have there." James commented approvingly. I looked up at him in surprise before smiling.

"Yes, I do." I told him before continuing my way over to the drinks and picking up a fresh glass of red wine. James did the same and soon we were talking with some other random man who knew James. We didn't get much time on our own after that except for a few more dances but he stayed with me the whole night and didn't once leave my side, even when mother was giving him the 20 questions.

That night I went to bed with a smile on my face and I dreamt long and hard about the man I had danced with that night.

**oxo…oxo**

**Well, I hope you like this. I'm not really sure whether or not to continue it… please review and tell me if you like it. I'll see what I can do if you do like it so don't forget to put it on alert! But also remember to review it or I'll never know now will I!**


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